Hello faithful blog readers who I have not blessed with a post since early December. Me, taking a long unplanned hiatus from blogging? But hey, the only people that read this are my friends, my parents, and maybe some of my friends' parents, so you already have buy in! Anyway, just because I haven't been writing doesn't mean I haven't been consuming content. I've seen some plays, watched some movies, read some books. You know, the usual. Basically, to make the story really brief, I've been (a) super busy and (b) super uninspired for most of 2020 thus far. I've seen some incredible work that I've really loved, but haven't felt moved to say anything about it. Maybe one day I'll write an in-depth ranking and analysis of all four professional productions of Fiddler on the Roof I've seen, but do you need a white woman to write a think piece about Slave Play? So, about two weeks ago I was having a Bad Day because, you know, adulthood, so to help me get back into the swing of things and feel better and more inspired, I went to what I venture to claim is, at the very least, in the top five most inspirational places in the entire world- The Metropolitan Museum of Art. (If you didn't know I was a libra before, do you know now?) I have a bit of a routine when I go to The Met. First of all, carb load before hand. The Met is huge and requires a lot of standing and walking. You don't want to do this on an empty stomach. Second of all, wear something nice. You don't want to look like shit in front of the artwork. It's disrespectful. Then, when you get there, follow your feet. Occasionally I'll go to The Met to see a specific exhibit, like the annual costume institute show or because I'm just really craving some 18th century interior design, but usually I just want to be there. The Met is so big and so cavernous that even though I've been there at least six times I know I haven't seen it all. So I usually just go by instinct until I get tired or hungry or the museum closes, whatever comes first. I've always loved museums, and I know that isn't true for everyone. They can seem cold or inaccessible or boring. So, because I'm a massive nerd and a weirdo who has been inspired by the recent conversation about whether or not you have an internal monologue (I, clearly, have a very verbose one), I decided to stream of conscious journal my internal monologue at The Met in a note in my phone. The following is an unedited excerpt from that note, hence some lapses in grammar and spelling, but annotated to include videos, podcast episodes, and explanations (in bold) where needed. Maybe this can help you fall in love with museums or find a new way to experience art. Or maybe you'll just think I'm even weirder than you already did. All responses are valid. Onto the note: Met thoughtsAwe is a very special feeling The Buddha seems like a very approachable diety I should reread siddhartha How museum layouts preserve or dismantle cultural hegemony (if you don't watch any of the other videos in this blog post please watch the video below, it's amazing) I wonder how many selfies museum guards see everyday I’m peak libra right now (for more astrology content add me on costar, @stephaniekane86) What if I got an art history degree Is this art or can I sit on it Imagine art out of context (Okay, it's really bothering me that I don't remember where I heard this idea, but I consumed some content about art where someone smarter then I recommended that when you're observing a piece of art, try to imagine it out of its physical context. For example, imagine a painting on a museum wall on a street vendor's display, or hung up on a fridge, and vice versa. Does it change how you feel about the art if it isn't validated by its presence in an institution? My favorite real world application of this is when people who probably can afford interior designers hang their children's artwork with equal reverence to professional pieces and it puts them in dialogue in a really playful way.) Would arts education solve all our political problems Was george Washington more or less attractive than his portraits Important reminder that the met scene in when Harry Met sally was improvised Fun museum games: imagine jumping into the paintings a la Mary poppins or talking to them like in Harry Potter (true story, the Harry Potter game is why I fell in love with art museums on elementary school field trips to LACMA) Making art about war (I think the expanded version of my thought here is about the ethics of making something beautiful out of something so terrible? I don't remember. I also had recently seen 1917.) What are we but a collection of things we find beautiful (this thought is a direct rip off of the following scene from the Hulu adaption of High Fidelity, which I loved and highly recommend) ^omg stop with your pretentious libra bullshit Did you know in classical art a nude refers only to a figure without pubic hair (this is a link to an episode of the podcast Stuff Mom Never Told You all about The Female Nude in classical art and it is FASCINATING) We should talk more about american Impressionism (this is mostly about Mary Cassatt, who has been my favorite artist since first grade. I think it's important that you know that in the first grade I hated Andy Warhol and cried and refused to participate in a project based on his work. I have since come around to Andy Warhol, at least in part because we are both Carnegie Mellon alums!) How much does an authentic Tiffany lamp go for these days
I would rock an early 20th century silhouette (and I once did, in an 8th grade production of The Music Man) How is there so much shit at this museum I’ve never seen Will roll top desks ever come back in style What if night at the museum took place at the Met Sound design of museums (okay so most of The Met, aside from some occasional exhibits such as Camp [which had admittedly disappointing sound design. One Judy Garland song over and over again? Come on. Do better.] usually don't incorporate music or sound design, but after I wrote this note I went to the Bill Graham exhibit at the New York Historical Society which has a full soundtrack that you listen to on a provided device that responds to touch points on the walls as you walk through. It was very cool and I would love to see more of this!) So excited for the music man revival (this was a specific response to an exhibit about musical instruments, and more specifically the section of the exhibit with brass instruments. Also, moving forward, we are getting to the section of the note and my time at The Met where I was clearly tired and under-fed. You have been warned.) I need to work on my gallery wall Watching other people take in art I’m really lucky I live here Not here for glass elevators How the fuck did I just walk in a giant circle I need to get my Tiffany necklace fixed How the fuck is there so much amazing stuff in open storage always Really feeling this 18th century Pennsylvania red stone pottery right now I should find a Groupon for a pottery class I could live here I would put porcupine art in my house There are really only so many ways faces can look Unfinished paintings are kind of spooky Mark Twain has great hair I haven’t seen any weird theatre in a while Marc Chagall was alive in the 1980s?!?! Are there any other famous Jewish artists besides Marc Chagall I want to go back to Paris but like midnight in paris I need a vacation I’m so lucky I get to see this I have ancestors who were contemporaries to every artist in this museum I should get my film camera fixed [end note] So that, my friend, is how I experienced The Met on that particular day and time. I know this is a theater blog, but I have, in fact, dramaturged a play that takes place in a museum, and I really feel that my love for all art not only informs my dramaturgical practice, but also just makes me a better artist and a better person. I hope this inspires you to look at different art than you usually do or look at art differently than you usually do. And if you ever want to go to The Met, just let me know! I'm a great museum buddy.
1 Comment
Abigail Kane
3/11/2020 07:25:49 pm
Hey, Steph! It's your sister! And I also read your blog! (When I'm not doing puzzles, watching Bob's Burgers, or browsing through Funimation's vast library of anime). I miss you and hope we can spend one-on-one time together as soon as possible! Love you! <3
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Stephanie KaneI like reading plays, drinking lots of coffee, and holding other people's Tony Awards. Archives
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